Dar Es Salaam --> Arusha --> Ngorongoro Crater --> Flamingo Lodge

After over forty hours of travel, we arrived safe and sound at the Kilimanjaro International Airport to be greeted by the smiling face of George Mtaki, our tour operator for the safari and transportation for the trip. We then proceeded to take our own bus for the hour ride to Arusha, where we stayed for the night. Arriving at 12:15am, we got settled and had "dinner" at 1:20am. We were exhausted, but in true Cornell fashion, we all thought, who needs sleep anyways? After finally settling, we slept for a few hours then got up for a 6:30am breakfast before departing to the Ngorongoro Crater for our safari today. The crater is a former volcano that has since collapsed, forming a large depression with a lake and plains that are home to a variety of animals. We arrived at the gate after about two and a half hours of travel, and in the process of checking in, we noted the baboons everywhere! To our delight we snapped photos, until we realized we had two of them in our car eating our lunches... Luckily, some other guides helped us and got them out, but not after they'd torn through a few of the boxes and pooped on Carleen's seat. It ended up being alright though, and soon we were off! Even on the ride into the crater, we saw elephants and water buffalo, and we only got more excited. Once actually inside the crater, we came across hyenas, zebras, Thompson gazelles, more buffalo, wildebeests, flamingos and even a lion! We avidly snapped photos and captured some awesome sights. Finally, we decided to head back, and were taken to the Flamingo Lodge where we were greeted with warm towelettes and fresh-squeezed mango juice. After napping the afternoon away, we had a wonderful dinner and are about to go get a good night's rest as we prepare to go to the Tarangire (Elephant) National Park tomorrow for what we expect will be another fabulous day!